NEW RESIDENTS

We made blue bird houses for some people for Christmas. And three for ourselves. In our old example, the squirrels had with great talent and energy enlarged the entrance hole to suit themselves. Blue birds are picky, they like a tight fit.

Maybe three months ago, we started seeing the scouts. They traveled in a beautiful herd, all those males. Their coloring is so dramatic. You cannot beat complementary colors used together. The rusty red orange enhances the blue and vice versa. The group enjoyed our satellite dish filled with water, which is close to one of the houses. They drank, they washed, en masse. We had a new cake of meal worm hanging with a little tin roof over it to save it from rain. They hung around for maybe one day and then were off. We hoped they liked what they saw.

The three blue bird houses are in good sites, the one out the back deck is perfect. They want to be on the edge of the woods, with the hole opening towards a clearing, and with other trees for flying lessons in range. They need a water source, and of course their preferred food.

It seemed to me that the interval between the scouts looking around and an actual couple moving in was huge. Not until now, the end of March, today, did we see a pair off the bedroom. This morning they were sitting on the house, but we saw no entrance into it. Perhaps they were in negotiation with some unknown force.

It is not fair that we love them so much because of their beauty. Like our cardinal pair, Stanley and Mama. The cardinals are such amazing colors, even Mama, that it is easy to create a relationship. One can easily see them in contrast with all the green, and note their movement. Their brilliant color is how we know where they live, in the line of elaeagnus at the edge of the front woods. Their morning movements to the feeder are easily seen from our outward facing bed.

Giving others a chance however, it is difficult to pick a favorite.

We have many Carolina wrens in our acreage. The detail is outstanding on this bird. His markings are like my late cat, Mouse. Birds always remind me of cats.